1. Now that HomePlug has released the 1.0 specification for powerline home networking, what is next for the Alliance and its member companies? 

We unveiled the HomePlug 1.0 specification on June 26^th, 2001. The next important step for the Alliance is developing and rolling out compliant, interoperable powerline home networking products for consumers.  The Alliance’s primary focus is to create consumer demand and consumer education materials – driving adoption for the new products that will be rolled-out into the market.  We’ve set the benchmark that within the next five years HomePlug’s product portfolio will double analyst projections for the percentage of market share for connected home products.  We look forward to watching analysts re-write their projections.

2. When will HomePlug-compliant products be available to consumers? 

Our first HomePlug- compliant products will hit store shelves in late Q4 2001.

3. What kind of products will they be? What kind of products will follow later on? 

The initial products will be adapters to connect existing devices (desktops) . These adapters will be USB and Ethernet bridges. Down the road, products will be released with HomePlug included. These devices will include not alone PCs but also media devices (audio and voice).

4. Will the pricing be competitive with other home networking technologies?

Yes, as with any product on the consumer market, we must be priced competitively with other home networking solutions in order to gain consumer attention and secure market share. Though price is not the only decision factor, it certainly is a key element for most consumers today.

5. Will HomePlug products be compatible with other home networking technologies?

While our products will work together with wireless and phone line networking options, powerline will be the wired backbone of the connected home.  The combination of home networking technologies offers the ubiquity of powerlines with the utility and mobility of wireless. With powerline serving as the wired backbone of the network, consumers can plug in appliances to any power outlet in the home. Users can then set up a wireless network that allows the mobile appliances to communicate with static appliances. 

6. Will HomePlug products be compliable with other powerline products such as X10, CEBus, Echelon etc? 

As part of our field tests, we tested with X10 and CEBus. HomePlug did coexist with these products.

7. Is HomePlug technology suitable for entertainment networking in the home as well as data and communication networks?

Absolutely, HomePlug’s Marketing Requirements Document (MRD) required the technology to be optimized for multimedia applications (audio and voice). It will be exciting to see the myriad of applications and technologies that consumers network in their homes in the coming months. HomePlug will network anything with an electrical plug.  From accessing streaming audio from a home entertainment server to connecting broadband content services with DVD systems and online video editors, consumers can easily use powerline home networking products to orchestrate entertainment networks – as well as networks of all types.

8. Will HomePlug devices be used for Home Automation and Control? What kind of devices do you envision for this purpose?

While home automation and remote access/control products are gaining some mindshare with consumers, they do not require high speeds and high bandwidth – thus HomePlug products will not be focusing on this market niche.

9. How does HomePlug envision the “connected home” of the future? 

Today there are a variety of home networking solutions from wireless to phone lines to powerlines.  The connected home of the future will be an amalgamation of several networking options, based on the types of devices that are connected and the demands of individual lifestyles.  Powerline will be the wired backbone of the connected home.

Thinking of the issue practically, consumers need a powerline network for devices and applications that require a plug into a power source (such as a desktop PC or television). Likewise, consumers want a wireless solution for mobile devices (such as a PDA or laptop).  As the hype around home networking becomes reality and with an increasingly tech-savvy population using multiple appliances, consumers will begin to demand a way to organize and access information from their computing and household devices in a way that is easiest for them – combining powerline, wireless and phoneline technologies.

10. What will the consumer education campaign entail? When will it start? How will it grow? Who will support it?

The Alliance’s primary focus in the coming months is consumer education, headed up by our

Marketing Working Group.  The campaign will be a two-pronged education and awareness program:

1. directly reaching consumers
2. directly reaching retailers, who influence consumers’ purchasing decisions

The consumer education campaign will include:

• Launching a consumer-focused HomePlug website
• Developing retailer education materials, including an extensive knowledge base that retailers can port directly into their organization’s training curriculum
• Communicating our messages to consumer publications, such as Family PC, Time Digital, PC Magazine and USA Today
• Developing broadcast vehicles to reach mass TV audiences, including creating b-roll and conducting a multi-city satellite media tour
• Participating in consumer events and conferences, such as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) being held on January 8 -11, 2002, in Las Vegas, NV.

Tom Reed is the 2001 president of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance and manager of business development and emerging technologies at RadioShack Corporation.

As president of HomePlug, Reed is focused on supporting member company product initiatives, creating consumer demand and education for these new products, and solving regulatory issues for product sales in Europe and Japan. With experience in emerging technologies, as well as consumer marketing, Reed is poised to extend HomePlug from industry insider awareness into the mass-market consumer products mindset.

Reed has been an integral part of HomePlug since the Alliance's inception and served as the Alliance's Marketing Working Group chairman, as well as a board alternate.

In addition to his leadership role at HomePlug, Reed is the manager of business development and emerging technologies at RadioShack Corporation, a founding member of HomePlug. In his role at RadioShack Reed is responsible for tracking emerging technologies in the connected home market, developing business plans for future opportunities and evaluating next-generation products.